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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Legislature passed a record number of bills — nearly 600 — during the session that ended on Friday, including changes to how the courts address child custody battles and regulation of college athletes' use of their name, image and likeness.
But not all bills proposed this session are making it to Gov. Spencer Cox's desk for a signature.
Here are some of the bills that passed or failed during the final days of the 2024 Legislature.
Child custody
Lawmakers approved the measure known as "Om's Law," which directs judges to prioritize child safety in custody decisions and requires them to consider evidence of domestic violence raised in those cases. The bill, HB272, is modeled on a federal law and a similar move in Colorado last year.
The bill was named for Om Gandhi, who was at the center of a child custody battle that dragged on for more than a decade before he was shot and killed by his father, Parth Gandhi, who police said then took his own life.
NIL regulation
The Legislature on Friday night passed a bill governing college athletes' use of their name, image and likeness, including making NIL agreements submitted to universities for review exempt from the state's public records law.
While about 30 states have passed NIL laws and many have legislation pending, HB202 is Utah's first attempt to regulate NIL in college sports. It comes as a federal judge in Tennessee last week issued a preliminary injunction barring the NCAA from enforcing its rules prohibiting NIL compensation for recruits in a lawsuit brought by the states of Tennessee and Virginia.
Utah schools
The Utah Legislature passed HB345, which significantly raises fines for speeding in a school zone or passing a stopped school bus. The bill increases the minimum fine for speeding in a school zone from $50 to $260. Those fines could reach more than $900, depending on the severity and number of prior offenses.
For drivers caught passing school buses with signs out, the bill raises the minimum fine to $1,000.
The Utah Senate defeated legislation Thursday that would have placed state lawmakers on the Utah High School Activities Association's postseason play appeals committee.
The bill, HB265, was rejected on a 17-8 vote, after some senators questioned what expertise appointed lawmakers would bring to an appellate committee asked to review outcomes of postseason play.
Another bill also failed on the Senate floor after being swapped. The original bill addressed teacher conduct, but a lawmaker switched it to one that would prohibit certain flags in classrooms in an attempt to prohibit pride flags in schools.
The substitute bill was brought forward by Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, who argued that political flags had no place in classrooms. During floor debate, he accused teachers of indoctrinating students. Many senators took issue with this major swap with no discussion at the late hour of the session. Ultimately, many Republicans in the Senate helped the measure fail.
Contributing: Daniel Woodruff, Annie Knox, Dennis Romboy and Marjorie Cortez
